The palace doors slammed shut behind Gon, cutting off the drone of voices from the common hall.
He strode into the gardens, the evening air sharp with jasmine and damp earth, a welcome slap against the stuffy weight of the palace.
Dusk had settled, the sky a bruised violet slashed with amber, and the gardens sprawled out, hedges dark with dew, stone paths crunching under his boots.
Mira's barb from the corridors still burned in his ears. "Hiding already?", but out here, it was just noise.
He wasn't hiding; he was hunting, restless and sure, the palace a playground he'd master one way or another.
The quiet pulled him forward, a chance to reset before he took what he wanted.
He rounded a corner and spotted her, Lena, perched by a low stone fountain, fingers skimming the water, ripples fanning out.
Her dark hair caught the fading light, framing a face that was all sharp lines and quiet poise, her gray tunic hugging her frame just enough to catch his eye.
